Paris, black and white <3
4Many (if not most) of you are already familiar with Lana del Rey’s indie hit, “We were born to die.” First of all, the song, mellow, yet passionate, is brilliant. Almost as much as her beautiful, Paris-red lips in the chapel scenes of the video. But just in case you wondered where this stunning video was filmed, it was just on the outskirts of Paris, in the marvelous castle of Fontainebleau. Those amazing fresco-painted ceilings, the enormous gardens, and yes, Lana’s large, alluring eyes are just a few reasons to give this video a few more views. And of course, visit the château if you have the chance.
Who embodies Paris more than Coco Chanel?
"The aroma of No. 5 is just discernible in the air"
Though a little dated, I love this article describing a woman’s journey tracing the tracks of Coco Chanel
(Some)things I must do in Paris
1. Go to the top of the Eiffel Tower, once during the day, once at night
2. Visit Monet’s water lilies
3. Find the most delicious crème brûlée in the city
4. Befriend a total stranger
5. Take a bike ride through the city
6. Get a tattoo
7. Acquire a vintage Chanel item (in honor of Coco herself)
8. Fill my memory card with photographs
9. Buy a small painting or watercolor
10. Find the perfect coffee house to write
11. Visti the tomb of Porfirio Diaz
Any day now…
Like many before me, I came to Paris with the purpose of getting inspired. As I mentioned before, this is indeed an amazing city, where color, culture, and art is found on every corner. Yet I’ve found it difficult to translate what I see into words, perhaps because there is precisely too much to see. I got a journal back in Boston specifically so I could fill its pages with the many thoughts and experiences I have in the city of lights, words I eventually hope to translate into songs. Sadly, all I have written is my name and a stanza I came up with as I walked home on a rainy, deserted night.
It’s been almost a month since I arrived in Paris, and it’s time to get started having an absolutely saturating, exhausting, filled-with-joys-and-thrills experience.
Let’s get started filling that journal.
One cannot begin a blog about Paris without a picture of its looming and ever-present steel guard.
Everywhere you look in Paris, you will see traces of love. Young couples kiss on park benches, older couples pass them by holding hands. Friends sit in cafes for hours, all to express their love for each other and for life.
J’aime rien. Je suis Parisienne.
Everything they say about Paris is true. It’s beautiful. It comes to life at night. There are baguettes everywhere you go.
But not everything they say about Parisians is true. Not even close. After barely two weeks in the glamorous capital of France, it has become apparent to me that Parisians themselves are the true mystery; that Paris will always be the Mecca of wondering souls, while Parisians would rather keep their distance from all strangers.
And so, in an attempt to record the things I observe from this beautiful and uninviting race, I have begun this blog. Perhaps no one will really take interest, but I feel as though everyone could learn a thing or two from the Parisians’ seductive way of life. Everything, from the smallest macaroon, to the greatest of gardens holds a little secret about this beguiling city and the passion that drives its very core.
